Louis, Count of Soissons

Louis, Count of Soissons (1 May 1604-6 July 1641) was the Count of Soissons, a second cousin of King Louis XIII of France, and a "Prince of the Blood" of France. He was killed while fighting for Spain at the Battle of La Marfee in 1641 during the Franco-Spanish War.

Biography
Louis, Count of Soissons was born in Paris, Kingdom of France in 1604, the son of Charles, Count of Soissons and Anne de Montafie. He became Governor of Dauphine at the age of eight, inheriting the title after his father's death. In 1612, he became the head of the royal household as Grand Master of France. In 1636, resentful of Cardinal Richelieu's influence in the government, he unsuccessfully plotted to assassinate the cardinal. In 1641, he sided with Spain and the Holy Roman Empire when they invaded France during the Thirty Years' War/Franco-Spanish War, and he fought against the French army at the Battle of La Marfee. However, Soissons accidentally shot himself while lifting his helmet's visor with his loaded pistol, and the victory at La Marfee was rendered moot due to the rebellion's lack of leadership.